Yan Xiaobing said with concern.
The Lu family is a renowned martial arts family in Hebei Circuit. He was a servant bought by the Lu family and accompanied Lu Yulin in learning martial arts from a young age.
Lu Yulin eventually became First Rank expert, Yan Xiaobing, with his good aptitude, also entered the First Rate realm, possessing Third Rank cultivation level.
The two appeared to be master and servant, but in reality, they were as close as brothers.
In front of Yan Xiaobing, Lu Yulin's expression finally relaxed.
He sighed, "The Grand Commander has already breached Heavenly Spring Pass. He wrote to me today, and although his words weren't urging me, they were full of encouragement. But if we fail to achieve anything soon, do you really think he won't take the opportunity to punish us?"
"Snort!"
Yan Xiaobing's face turned cold. "What ability does Song Hai have to be above my elder brother? You, elder brother, are already showing restraint by being ranked second. If they still want to take this opportunity to diminish your power, I think it would be better to..."
"Xiaobing!"
Lu Yulin interrupted Yan Xiaobing in a low voice, giving him a stern look.
Yan Xiaobing lowered his head and remained silent.
Both were highly skilled, and could hear everything happening within a few feet around them clearly, so there was no need to worry about being overheard.
Lu Yulin remained silent for a while, then said softly, "Alright, go back and get some rest. We still need your help to break through the city tomorrow."
Yan Xiaobing pursed his lips, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lu Yulin, and said, "Yes!"
He turned and walked out of the tent.
Inside the military tent, Lu Yulin sat alone in the main seat, the flickering candlelight casting his face in alternating light and shadow.
He sat there for a long time before getting up and leaving.
As night deepened, only a few torches flickered in the wind Tiger Soul Pass.
In the camp outside the pass, the Mount Liang patrol team strolled lazily.
Although they had launched a fierce attack for several days without success, everyone felt that it was only a matter of time before the city was breached. The government troops inside the city were already terrified and would never dare to come out.
To everyone's surprise, the city gate of Guancheng suddenly opened a crack.
A troop of cavalry silently emerged from the gate, all the horses' hooves wrapped in cloth, and both riders and horses had wooden sticks in their mouths.
The man at the forefront, clad in black armor and wielding a long sword, was none other than Zhang Liao, the garrison commander of Tiger Soul Pass!
Zhang Liao was only in his early thirties, with a face as white as jade and eyes as bright as stars. He didn't say a word, but simply pointed the knife in his hand forward, and the hundred riders behind him spurred their horses and slowly approached the camp ahead.
When the Mount Liang at the camp gate heard the commotion, they fired several arrows at them, killing the soldiers on the arrow tower!
Soon, a nimble military officer scaled the camp gate and opened it from the inside.
The hundred cavalrymen poured in through the camp gate like a flood bursting its banks!
After entering the camp, everyone stopped trying to slow their horses down and increased their speed.
"Enemy attack—"
Stop them!!!
The camp quickly became lively, with everyone shouting loudly.
Zhang Liao charged ahead, avoiding heavily guarded areas and heading straight for the rear camp.
He seemed to know the layout and structure of the Mount Liang camp inside and out!
A Mount Liang leader and his men blocked the road. Zhang Liao, without stopping, spurred his horse forward and slashed diagonally with his long sword, cleaving the man in two, sword and shoulder, in one stroke.
He brandished his long sword from horseback, killing several more people in succession.
The cavalry followed closely behind, first lighting their torches, and then setting fire to tents and anything else they could ignite along the way!
The flames started as a single point, then quickly spread out.
The night wind blew down from the mountains, and the fire, fueled by the wind, burned ever brighter!
Many of the Mount Liang soldiers were only just awakened from their dreams and rushed out of their tents in a panic, completely bewildered.
One after another, Mount Liang masters arrived upon hearing the news. Zhang Liao spurred his horse forward to meet them, slaying several men in quick succession. His blade flashed back and forth in the firelight, like a silver python ready to devour its prey!
He led over a hundred cavalrymen, moving freely and unstoppably through the Mount Liang army camp!
"Leave it with me—"
With a roar like a tiger's bellow, a burly man wielding a large knife charged out on horseback.
It was none First Rate than Wu Song, the top-tier martial arts master of Mount Liang who once killed a tiger with his bare hands!
Zhang Liao didn't engage in a full-force fight. Instead, in the instant the two horses passed each other, he ducked to avoid the opponent's incoming blade, while simultaneously stabbing the opponent's warhorse with his long sword, causing Wu Song to fall from his horse.
Wu Song was not skilled in mounted combat, and he lost his warhorse after only one exchange of blows.
He was furious, turned around and sprinted after Zhang Liao!
However, he was blocked by the cavalry behind him. After blocking several riders' full-speed charge, Zhang Liao had already disappeared from sight.
Soon, Wu Song saw from afar that the rear camp was also on fire, and he knew that something was wrong, because that was the area where the army's food and supplies were stored!
"Withdraw--"
Zhang Liao successfully set fire to a grain storage point, but seeing that the fire was already taking shape, he decisively ordered a retreat.
The army had more than one grain depot, but having successfully ignited one, tonight's objective had been achieved, and Zhang Liao did not seek credit for it.
He led his men to retreat out of the camp, encountering few obstacles along the way.
Clearly, the retreat route was already in his mind. Which direction would the Mount Liang run after the attack? Where would they regroup? How would the enemy react? How could he avoid encountering the fewest enemies?
He was confident about all of this!
Just as the group was about to rush out of the camp gate, a group of people emerged from the flames ahead, with Lu Yulin leading the charge.
He brought only a dozen or so personal guards, who were not fully armored and carried a long spear. The firelight illuminated his ashen face.
"Zhang Liao!!!"
Lu Yulin roared and spurred his horse forward, his anger reaching its peak.
Zhang Liao didn't dodge; he spurred his horse and charged forward with his sword.
The two riders clashed, swords and spears collided, and a loud bang, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, sent sparks flying!
Both were First Rank experts and skilled in mounted combat; their attack was incredibly powerful.
Zhang Liao's arm went numb. He exhaled and continued spurring his horse toward the camp gate.
Lu Yulin swiftly turned his horse around and casually stabbed down two cavalrymen charging towards him with two spear thrusts.
He paid no attention to the cavalry behind him, nor to how his personal guards were fighting the enemy. He only had Zhang Liao in his eyes and spurred his horse to chase after him!
He and Zhang Liao rode better horses than the others, and with their excellent horsemanship, they quickly left the cavalry behind.
"Die!!!"
Lu Yulin roared from behind, catching up with Zhang Liao. His spear whistled like a dragon's roar as he thrust it toward the opponent's back.
Zhang Liao turned and drew his sword, striking the spear shaft with another muffled thunderous explosion!
He caught the blow, and even his warhorse was affected, its momentum momentarily halted.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lu Yulin advanced alongside him, his spear relentlessly attacking.
Lu Yulin's spear thrusts were extremely heavy, each strike carrying the power of a landslide!
Zhang Liao did not rely on brute force, but instead used unorthodox methods, repeatedly striking Lu Yulin's ribs and wrists.
The two horses rode side by side, like two shadows flying close to the ground, with swords and spears clashing above them, sparks flying and explosions like thunder!
Lu Yulin chased after Zhang Liao out of the camp and rushed towards the fortress ahead.
Behind the two were the cavalry led by Zhang Liao. More than a hundred riders went in, and eventually more than seventy of them fought their way out.
Several dozen more Mount Liang cavalrymen were chasing after them.
Suddenly, a row of torches lit up the fortress ahead, followed by the sound of bowstrings twanging as the defending soldiers began to fire arrows. The rain of arrows fell on the dozens of pursuing riders, halting the Mount Liang cavalry's pursuit.
Lu Yulin exchanged dozens of blows with Zhang Liao on horseback, gaining the upper hand and even nearly stabbing his opponent off his horse!
But in the end, they still couldn't defeat their opponent.
With the city gate just ahead, Lu Yulin knew that if he followed them in, even with his superior martial arts skills, he would surely die!
He had no choice but to turn his horse around and separate from Zhang Liao, making a sharp turn and heading back towards the camp.
The official road was not wide, and Lu Yulin inevitably ran into the Tiger Soul Pass cavalry behind him on his return journey.
Undeterred, he neither slowed his horse nor slowed down, charging forward with his spear.
The spear, like a dragon, transformed into a silver streak in the night, thrusting left and right, almost every thrust knocking a Tiger Soul Pass cavalryman off his horse!
Lu Yulin fought his way through the ranks of dozens of riders, as if he had cleaved them in two!
Zhang Liao had arrived at the city gate, which was half-open. He turned around and glanced at the Mount Liang Army camp engulfed in flames, a smile spreading across his face.
He then looked at Lu Yulin, who had already cut through the cavalry ranks, his eyes turning icy cold, and shouted loudly, channeling his Internal Skill:
"What heroes of Mount Liang? Nothing special! Grandpa's waiting for you to attack the city—"
The sound carried far into the night.
Lu Yulin had already joined up with the Mount Liang cavalry who were chasing after him. Standing outside the rain of arrows, he stared at the door that had closed again in the distance, gritting his teeth.
The next morning, Lu Yulin took the lead and personally led his elite troops to scale the city walls!
However, the camp was attacked last night, and the supplies were burned. The morale of the Mount Liang army was low, and their fighting strength was not as good as it had been a few days ago.
On this day, Lu Yulin climbed the city wall three times, but was ultimately driven back each time.
Zhang Liao commanded from the city wall, making it an impregnable fortress. He led his elite troops to besiege Lu Yulin and other Mount Liang masters on several occasions, repelling them.
The Mount Liang army launched a fierce attack for a day, suffering heavy losses, but still failed to break through Tiger Soul Pass, and their morale plummeted even further.
Lu Yulin knew he was powerless to break through the city and could only wait for Song Hai to arrive with his army to provide reinforcements.
September 2nd, the ninth year of Yuanxing.
Song Hai led more than 15,000 men to Tiger Soul Pass (some of whom were local militia members from Ya Province and surrendered government troops).
With renewed morale, Mount Liang launched another attack on Tiger Soul Pass.
This time, Mount Liang deployed even more skilled fighters, and the city walls almost fell at one point.
Just when Tiger Soul Pass was about to fall, reinforcements from Shannan Circuit arrived!
A large number of government troops entered Tiger Soul Pass, Song Hai had no choice but to order a retreat.
A total of 30,000 border troops from Shannan Circuit have come to reinforce the region!
More than 20,000 Mount Liang troops defended outside Tiger Soul Pass for a day before finally choosing to retreat.
? 146 Yi Province Militia
The third day after Ciwen was killed.
At the execution ground in Yi Prefecture City, just as dawn broke, the execution platform had already been erected.
More and more people gathered in the open space in front of the stage, forming dense crowds that made it impossible to move. The nearby streets and alleys were also packed with people; some were standing on tiptoe to peer inside, while others climbed onto their own walls...
Around the execution platform, thirty militiamen and thirty constables worked together to maintain order.
The officials were dressed in uniform, with swords at their waists. The militiamen, dressed in full leather armor, stood solemnly with spears in hand.
In contrast, the officials standing to the side appeared much less imposing.
In the teahouses and taverns near Caishikou, the windows of the private rooms on the second floor were half-open, and shadowy figures could be seen moving about from time to time.
Today, almost all the prominent figures in Yi Prefecture City have come and are sitting in the building looking this way.
At 1:15 AM, a group of people escorted prisoners through the long street, with Hong Zhanming at the front and more than thirty people following behind.
Among these people were bald monks and men dressed as laymen; they were all the people in charge of Mist Hidden Temple in the city and the temple's leaders!
The group moved slowly, the iron chains beneath their feet dragging on the ground with a clanging sound.